These are the chronicles of a former Detroiter who found himself in Portland, Oregon. They're also a record of my journey from who I was to who I am becoming. If you're wondering who I was/am, read on...

Ride Report - Friday, April 14th

Matt Details:Weight: 245 pounds (still)Feels: Felt good after the ride, knees still ache a littleTotal 2006 Mileage: 950.22Total Time in the Saddle: 88 hours, 22 minutesAverage Miles per Day: 12.34

Notes:My back tire has had a slow leak for the last few weeks, and this morning I discovered why when going down the Oatfield hill. I'd put 60 psi into the back tire before leaving, and while turning the sharp corner of the Oatfield drop, the back end started to shimmy. I immediately slowed and stopped at the end of the bridge over Kellogg Creek, and saw (and felt) the flat. I pulled the tire and tube off, and found a piece of glass embedded in the tire, pushed all the way through to the inside of the tire. It's probably been there this whole time, widening the puncture it made in the tube. This morning finally killed it. So I spent 35 minutes changing a tube in the mud, which isn't as bad as it sounds. It had stopped raining just a minute of two before, so I was able to de-layer down to a T-shirt and keep cool while working. That's one drawback to being fat - you actually have to strip to a T-shirt in 50 degree temperatures to keep cool.

So, that's my first real flat of the year. 30 minutes later, I was riding over the Hawthorne bridge and Bike Gallery had set up a little maintenance stop on the west (downtown) end of the bridge with free coffee and muffins. So of course I stopped, and they were kind enough to top off the air in my tires. So other than getting in a lot later than I'd like, it was a good ride in!